It’s 2:39 pm on a Friday. Students line up by the door, waiting in anticipation for the final bell and the start of the weekend. BEEP! A stampede of people floods the halls as everyone rushes to get out of the building as fast as possible. Given this enthusiasm, why would anyone want to come back to school on a Friday night?

Link Crew invited freshman to do just that on October 19 from 8-10 pm for a Freshman Movie Night. There were a variety of options of movies, including classics like Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, High School Musical 3, Grown Ups, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. There were also more halloween-themed options, like Lights Out, Caroline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Insidious.

Link Crew coordinators agreed that this event was to help freshmen feel welcome and build relationships with the upperclassmen. “We wanted to make sure that at the start of the year, Freshman would have a chance to have fun with their leaders, because we know they’ve worked really hard [since the start of the school year],” says Link Crew coordinator Colin Killmer.

76 leaders and 64 freshman came. Most people said that they came because they liked movies, wanted to be with friends, or both. “My friends are here and I like movies,” says freshman Nadia Famiano. Other people preferred to stay home. “Band and sleep is more important than movies,” freshman Kyla Wightman says.

However, everyone who decided to come agreed that they really enjoyed having fun with friends, candy, blankets, and popcorn on a cold night. Lights Out was the most popular movie, with 27 people. “I just thought it would be fun to watch a scary movie with friends,” says freshman Kairi Martin. “Schools don’t play scary movies very often.”

The next major Link Crew event will be on January 20th, when they host the annual Cocoa and Cram session where Link Crew leaders will help freshman study for exams.